If you treat your dog like one of the family at home, for your next getaway choose a dog-friendly hotel, where all pooches are guaranteed to be pampered.
Gara Rock, Salcombe, Devon
Canine guests are welcome in the restaurant at Gara Rock
(Image credit: Gara Rock)
Set "atop a high, jagged peninsula" just outside Salcombe, Gara Rock has an "undeniably Soho Farmhouse vibe", said Condé Nast Traveller. Most rooms are dog-friendly – including some suites – as well as the lounge and the restaurant. Along the South West Coast Path, there are "wide expanses of beaches for splashing about in with abandon", although "the dogs may find the temperatures a little less daunting than the humans", said Good Housekeeping. In need of sustenance? Head for "the 'Garavan', on hand to dispense coffees, drinks and snacks for owners, with water bowls and pet-friendly treats available too".
The beach is 'right on the hotel's doorstep' at St Michaels Resort
(Image credit: Elliott White)
St Michaels Resort is one of Cornwall's "most affordable and easy going hotels", said The Telegraph. Swanpool Beach and the town centre are a 15-minute walk away, while the coastal path and Gyllyngvase Beach are "right on the hotel's doorstep". A handful of the resort's rooms and beach residences are suitable for pets. The location makes for "easy early-morning and sunset walks on the sand", said The Observer, and "dogs are welcomed with pet beds, towels, treats and a doggie guide to local attractions".
"This laidback yet luxurious" dog-friendly hotel blends "contemporary chic with coastal charm", said Good Housekeeping. You'll find everything your pet could want, including a blanket and bowls as well as a "personalised little gift bag containing dog treats, dog tennis balls, and poop bags". Reopened after extensive renovations in 2021, it "manages to intertwine grandeur and elegance with an achingly cool zeitgeisty atmosphere", said Condé Nast Traveller, featuring "opulent bedrooms" and "intimate alcoves tucked beside roaring fires". Outside, the hotel grounds and nearby dog-friendly beaches are "bound to ensure that four-legged residents sleep deeply come evening".
Four-legged friends find a warm welcome at the Fife Arms
(Image credit: Fife Arms)
Run by Iwan and Manuela Wirth – "arguably the most influential contemporary art dealers in the world", said Condé Nast Traveller – this former hunting lodge near Balmoral Castle in Scotland is their first hotel venture. Dog-friendly rooms are on the first floor, "furnished with food and water bowls, a special Fife Arms dog bed, a welcome package of treats and a turndown gift". The setting is "a playground for dogs", said The Telegraph, and "four-legged friends are welcome in The Flying Stag", a "jolly and noisy" bar serving "gently upgraded pub favourites like buckeye rarebit or Highland beef and bone marrow burger".
Explore the expansive grounds at The Retreat at Elcot Park
(Image credit: Retreat at Elcot Park)
This "Regency pile" is "affordable, fun and unstuffy", said The Times. It's situated close to Newbury, with "expansive grounds for pets to roam" and nearby walking trails, said Good Housekeeping. Dog-friendly rooms come with a welcome pack and have "access directly onto the grounds", said Condé Nast Traveller, and the Atlas Room and the Orangery restaurants "permit your pet to dine alongside you". For owners, there's a spa and outdoor pool to enjoy too.
Grove of Narberth is set among the "undulating greenery of Pembrokeshire" with, "in the distance, the Preseli mountains", said Condé Nast Traveller. This is "Pembrokeshire's smartest country house hotel", said The Telegraph, in a "thoroughly rural and peaceful spot near the pretty little town of Narberth". Its "pet-friendly amenities include towels, blankets, treats and a special menu". Dogs are welcome in six rooms, which all have gardens, a terrace or access to open spaces.
Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, Winchfield, Hampshire
A 'special doggy afternoon tea' is served at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire
(Image credit: Four Seasons Hampshire)
"This Georgian manor house and estate is a Hampshire hidden gem," said The Telegraph, and it's ideal for dogs, with "500 acres of beautiful surrounding countryside to frolic around in". Dogs are given "beds, bowls, treats, spring water and even grooming products", and the "doormen are ready to dispense bags for walkies or arrange dog sitting", said Country Living. Pets are welcome everywhere except the Wild Carrot restaurant, but "that shouldn't be a problem" as the room-service menu has a "dedicated pet section" and the library bar serves a "special doggy afternoon tea".
This "back-to-nature bolthole sprawls across a 400-acre estate in the Cotswolds", said Condé Nast Traveller. It has a "cluster of quirky country houses, shepherd's huts and treehouses" that feel "romantic, cosy and Scandi-cool" in equal parts. "Tails will be wagging at the idea of so much space on the doorstep", said Good Housekeeping. Every dog receives "its own cosy dog bed in the room, two dog bowls, doggie treats and a dog towel", and there are other canine comforts including "a dog bathtub and shampoo for post-walk washing, a dog agility course, a boot room with spare tennis balls and dog walking maps, and doggy afternoon teas at The Lounge", said The Telegraph.
"Once a 'hostel' for Hampton Court Palace guests", said The Telegraph, this is now a "characterful boutique hotel filled with wonderful antiques, stylishly designed rooms, hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper and the odd nod to King Henry VIII himself". Across the Thames from Hampton Court Palace, The Mitre has "canine-friendly rooms on the ground floor" with "access to an outdoor terrace", said Condé Nast Traveller, and a welcome pack (bed, bowl, poop bags and treats) on arrival. Dogs can accompany owners to the Coppernose restaurant, "set in a rotunda with Thames views", and there's also a "sizeable river terrace and Orangery space". You'll find "good walks along the footpath past the palace", or next door in Bushy Park, although "be mindful of the deer during rutting season".
Adrienne Wyper has been a freelance sub-editor and writer for The Week's website and magazine since 2015. As a travel and lifestyle journalist, she has also written and edited for other titles including BBC Countryfile, British Travel Journal, Coast, Country Living, Country Walking, Good Housekeeping, The Independent, The Lady and Woman’s Own.
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